Colorado Votes To Legalize Marijuana

Colorado voters have decided to legalize recreational use of marijuana. Late Tuesday night, Amendment 64 was leading by a margin of 53% in favor to 47% opposed.

Mason Tvert, co-director of the Yes on 64 campaign released a statement Tuesday night saying "Over the past eight years in Colorado, we have argued that it is irrational to punish adults for choosing to use a product that is far less harmful than alcohol. Today, the voters agreed. Colorado will no longer have laws that steer people toward using alcohol, and adults will be free to use marijuana instead if that is what they prefer. And we will be better off as a society because of it."

Roger Sherman, campaign director for No on 64, on the passage of Amendment 64 says “We knew all along this was an uphill battle against a well-funded national movement. We appreciate the efforts of Governor John Hickenlooper, former Governors Bill Owens and Bill Ritter, Attorney General John Suthers, Mayors Michael Hancock and Steve Hogan and countless other sheriffs, county commissioners, district attorneys and local elected officials who joined with the business community and citizens of Colorado to oppose this ill-conceived amendment. We can only hope that our concerns and fears about amending the Constitution to make Colorado the first state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana do not come true.”

Gov. John Hickenlooper released this statement Tuesday night about Amendment 64: “The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will. This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through. That said, federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug so don’t break out the Cheetos or gold fish too quickly.”

Voters in Washington State also decided to legalize marijuana in Tuesday's election. The measure was passing 55% to 45% there. A legalization bill was failing in in Oregon, the third state to have the issue of legalization on the ballot.

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